Charging the Energetic Body

Many people periodically ground themselves into their physical bodies. This simple practice increases their clarity, boosts their vitality, and enhances their enjoyment of life. They move through their circumstances with more ease and more awareness because essentially they are more alive. These and other benefits are augmented when that grounding is coupled with an energetic body practice. I recently developed a new way to connect with the energetic that I want to share with you.

The initial step, the physical grounding, can be accomplished in various ways, and you are welcome to use whatever method appeals to you. I’ll explain a twelve-breath exercise that requires no props, is easy to perform, and takes only a couple of minutes. It is based on the three-part dirga breathing from the yogic tradition of pranayama.

Sit comfortably and settle into the body, allowing all distractions to subside. Feel your natural breathing pattern, bringing your full attention to its physical sensations. Instead of thinking about the breathing, just focus on its movements and the corresponding sensations. All inhales and exhales in this exercise occur through the nose. Breathe fully and deeply throughout the grounding.

1. Take a deep breath that fills your belly. Feel the belly swell on the inhalation and contract on the exhalation. Breathe out all the old air, muscularly pulling the belly back towards the spine, which allows for the next inhale to be full. Repeat for a total of three breaths.

2. Move your attention to the rib cage. Feel it expand on the inhale and contract on the exhale. Repeat three times.

3. Shift your attention to your chest. Feel it rise up on the inhalation and descend on the exhalation. Repeat three times.

4. Follow the sensations in sequence. On the inhale, feel the belly swell, the ribs expand, and the chest rise. On the exhale, feel the chest descend, the ribs contract, and the belly contract with a slight extra pull towards the spine. Repeat three times.

If you still feel ungrounded or distracted, repeat the entire exercise until your system is calmed and you feel rooted into your physical being. Once you are there, you are ready to charge the energetic body, which extends outwards from the physical. Take a moment to feel into that space, about 12-18 inches from the skin. Simply notice whatever appears without analysis or trying to figure it out.

Focus your attention on the crown chakra and breathe into this area at the very top of your head. On the inhalation, visualize energy gathering there and revolving in a clockwise motion. On the exhale, direct that energy straight upwards. I usually see this as a column of golden light that cascades upwards like a fountain. This step might take a few moments to make it real for you, but I achieve the desired connection within three breaths due to regular practice.

Once you feel that a part of your energetic being has extended itself upwards, start to breathe sky energy downwards. I go back and forth, exhaling my energy up and inhaling sky energy down around my physical form. Once again, this require take several moments for you to feel or visualize, yet it can occur in only three breaths. Sky energy is filled with presence and purpose. It is often visualized as light, and a particular color may appear that you can use to strengthen your experience. This is a very refined energy that is not personalized and is available to everyone as a source of healing, growth, and inspiration.

After you have established a strong connection to sky energy, inhale it to a point about twelve inches above your head. Use an exhale to clear the energetic space around your head of any debris or intrusive energies that may be lodged there. Starting at this point, our breath cycles begin with an exhale that is used to “dust off” a portion of the energetic body. The following inhale directs the light of sky energy from above to the now cleared area. With practice, a single exhale-inhale cycle is sufficient to clean and charge a particular portion of our energetic body. We simply move through the body sequentially, dusting off each component and then bringing in the light to fill the opened space.

Proceed through the energetic body, dusting and charging fairly large areas with a single breath cycle: the neck and shoulders, the left arm and hand, the right arm and hand, the chest and upper back, the abdomen and middle back, the belly and lower back, the pelvic area, the left leg and foot, the right leg and foot. When finished, do three whole body cycles, cleaning and charging the entire energetic field. And then rest into the space. Notice any feelings or sensations that arise without thinking very much about them. Simply notice so that you can compare how you felt before the practice and how you felt after. I usually feel lighter and shinier, but attend to your own experience rather than trying to recreate mine.

For a live demonstration, I will lead this practice at the start of my next broadcast on Human Spirit Radio Network on Friday May 10 at 2:00 PDT. You can tune in at that time or listen to the archived show at your convenience. To listen, call (646) 478-4429. Or visit http://blogtalkradio.com/humanspiritradio.